Italian Influences in African Cooking?

[Richard Kilgore]

In a discussion in the Texas forum about an woman in San Antonio who is marketing E. African foods in the US, the question of Italian influences on African cooking came up. I think this has been discused in this forum before but could not find it.

Does anyone know anything about the Italian influences, what areas of Africa they touch, and how this came to be?

[culinary bear]

Italy invaded Ethiopia, Eritrea, and parts of Libya and Somalia in the mid 1930s during the rise of Italian fascism; relinquishing them in the early 1940s as part of the general defeat of the axis powers in Africa.

Might go some way to explaining an Italian influence...

[Ore]

Vicer Versa, African influences are huge here in Italy. North African influences can be seen day to day in the Southern part of Italy with different spices introduce to classic dishes, methods of preparation, etc. Morrocco, Tunisia, etc. are all very close by, and the migration of these countries has not ceased either.

[chefzadi]

If you want to take the Italians all the way back to Roman times. Well there are ancient Roman ruins in Setif, Algeria where my parents are from. The Romans also turned Tunisia into the breadbasket for the Roman empire. It is widely accepted that the Arabs introduced dried pasta to Sicily. The moors in Spain. Several hundreds of years ago the Spanish were in Algeria (we still make our own version of Paella), Italians were part of the pied noir settlers in North Africa and so on and so on.

The history of the Mediterranean is rich with trade and conquests. The food around the entire Basin is informed by all of this. The people to. When I visited Italy, the locals assumed that I was from the South. When I went to Spain I was thought to be from Andalusia. Here in the States folks from all around the Basin (African, European and Middle Eastern sides) , Latin America and the Carribean will speak to me in any one of the languages assuming I am from the same place. Jews ask me if I'm Jewish. I love it. At this point in my life, I really feel like I am half Korean though.

[Rien]

The Romans also turned Tunisia into the breadbasket for the Roman empire. It is widely accepted that the Arabs introduced dried pasta to Sicily.

If I'm not mistaken, the Romans turned Tunisia into their oil amphora as well as breadbasket. I can't say for sure that the olive was introduced to Tunisia by Romans but I believe the mass of orchards and the early olive oil "industry" in North Africa was part of the Roman Empire's attempt to keep itself fed and fueled. My reference for this is Toussaint-Samat's and Bell's (caveat: often inaccurate) book, The History of Food.

rien

[chefzadi]

http://www.italianfood.com/en/curiosita/olivetree_00.asp

I found this. Alot of what is stated coincides with my understanding of what the general consensus is on the history Olives and Olive oil.

But then again, as I've said before I don't claim to be smarter than the average bear when it comes to much of anything, except maybe how to cook.

[Rien]

I found this. Alot of what is stated coincides with my understanding of what the general consensus is on the history Olives and Olive oil.

So, based on this article I'm inclined to believe that the olive tree came to Italy from Tunisia and that perhaps later, during the expansion of empire, the Romans returned to use the olive orchards as a form of "peaceful" conquest. The article did remind me that, along with North Africa, the Romans got a lot of olive oil from Spain.

I remember coming across the phrase "porto food" in a cookbook, though the cookbook escapes me. The intention was to create a category of foods that circulated around Mediterranean ports via trade and travel, creating slightly different versions and, quite literally, feedback loops everywhere. Seems that these questions of who influenced whom often turn into chicken and egg problems; who influence whom first?

Thanks for the article.

rien

[chefzadi]

I leave the quest of tracing influences in the Mediterranean to Ms Wolfert and Clifford Wright to name two writers.

I wonder where the oldest standing Olive tree is. My guess is the Middle East or North Africa.

[zeitoun]

I wonder where the oldest standing Olive tree is. My guess is the Middle East or North Africa.

←

According to many internet sources, the garden of gethsemane in jerusalem has some of the oldest trees in the world, close to 2000 years old!!!! I read elsewhere that older trees may have been found in greece.

[therese]

A bit off topic, as it's nothing to do with modern Italian influences on African cooking, but altogether on topic if you're looking back at very early foods around the Mediterranean (and elsewhere in the world) is Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, a book which, despite the name, is almost entirely about food.

A particularly good read for the lay person.